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Lot Essay
Pietro de Lignis, a Flemish artist by birth, lived and worked in Rome from 1599 until his death in 1627. There he formed part of the growing community of Northern artists in Italy, including Adam Elsheimer, with whom he likely had close contact.
The Virgin swaddling the Infant Jesus is one of only four known signed works by the artist, with the others including: The Adoration of the Magi (Museo del Prado, Madrid), signed and dated 'Pietro de Lignis fiamengo in Roma 1616'; The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, (Sotheby's, London, 25 May 1988, lot 126), signed 'Pietro lignis'; and Saints Praxede and Potentian with the martyrs (Private Collection), signed 'Pietro Dubois'. The variety of signatures reflect the various Latin interpretations of the artist's name, 'Pietro du Bois' and 'Pietro Lignis', both deriving from his Flemish name Pieter van den Houte.
The Virgin swaddling the Infant Jesus is one of only four known signed works by the artist, with the others including: The Adoration of the Magi (Museo del Prado, Madrid), signed and dated 'Pietro de Lignis fiamengo in Roma 1616'; The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, (Sotheby's, London, 25 May 1988, lot 126), signed 'Pietro lignis'; and Saints Praxede and Potentian with the martyrs (Private Collection), signed 'Pietro Dubois'. The variety of signatures reflect the various Latin interpretations of the artist's name, 'Pietro du Bois' and 'Pietro Lignis', both deriving from his Flemish name Pieter van den Houte.